The Ottawa Senators will be bringing defenseman Matt Bartkowski into training camp on a professional tryout (PTO), the team announced Friday.
The 28-year-old defender played 80 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season after spending five seasons inside the Boston Bruins organization.
With the Canucks, Bartkowski contributed six goals and 12 assists with a -2.12% adjusted CF%Rel. The Vancouver blue line struggled with injuries and wasn’t all that deep to start with, but Bartkowski proved useful to them.
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If he turns the PTO into a contract, Bartkowski may find himself in a similar situation with Ottawa. Little has changed on Ottawa’s blue line since last season, less the team parting ways with Patrick Wiercioch, as well as the in-season trade that brought in Dion Phaneuf and sent Jared Cowen to Toronto.
The lack of clarity in the Sens’ third-pairing could provide Bartkowski an opportunity to get an NHL contract and good ice time once again.